Group and ungroup screen objects

Use the Group command to group screen objects together.

A group of objects can be selected, moved, copied, and in some cases modified as if it is a single object, which makes it easier to manage in a busy project screen. Moreover, a group can be grouped with other groups to create increasingly complex groups.

To group two or more screen objects, select the objects that you want to group and then do one of the following:

• On the Format tab of the ribbon, in the Arrange group, select Group, then select Group from the shortcut menu.

• On the Draw tab of the ribbon, in the Editing group, select Arrange, then select Group from the shortcut menu.

• Right-click the selected objects, and then select Group on the shortcut menu.

  

  Tip: If the Format tab of the ribbon is not visible, or if the Group command (or Ungroup command discussed below) is not available on the shortcut menu, it is because you have not selected any objects in the screen editor.

To edit the object properties on a group, use the Object Properties dialog box similar to a single object. A group has more than one set of object properties, like an object that has animations added to it. Use the menu in the top-right corner of the Object Properties dialog box to select a specific object in the group.

Hint field: Groups of objects and linked objects can have hints, in addition to the hints for each grouped object. All of these hints will be active, but the individual grouped objects' hints will have priority over the hints for the group of objects or the linked object. The hint for the group of objects or the linked object will appear in parts of the screen occupied by the group of objects, but not occupied by one of the grouped objects.

Once you have created a group — also called a symbol — you may choose to save a master of it in your Symbols Library and then reuse it elsewhere in your project. Each copy will be linked to the master so that if you change the master, all of the linked copies will also be changed. For more information, see Create and edit project symbols.

To ungroup a group of objects, select the group and then do one of the following:

• On the Format tab of the ribbon, in the Arrange group, select Group, then select Ungroup from the shortcut menu.

• On the Draw tab of the ribbon, in the Editing group, select Arrange, then select Ungroup from the shortcut menu.

• Right-click the selected group, and then select Ungroup on the shortcut menu.

  Tip: A complex group can comprise several subgroups, so to ungroup it completely, first ungroup the group and then ungroup the subgroups.